Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/837588
" For many years, we all labored under the assumption that health care was immune to travesty and horrific incidents — that somehow those seeking to do harm would not enter into a place dedicated to healing. Unfortunately, this assumption was wrong, and we are seeing that no location is immune to terrible acts when someone is committed to inflicting injury." - STUART MITCHELL, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, HEALTH FIRST WHEN ILLNESS AND SECURITY COLLIDE Critics of a rming g ua rds or of doing so without adequate training point to instances when unarmed individua ls acting without ma licious intent were injured. Such was the case when a bipolar patient, Alan Pean, voluntarily sought care in August 2015 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston. According to The New York Times, Pean arrived at the facility in a state of distress and was later subdued by security — two moonlighting police o¬ cers — who had been summoned by a nurse when Pean became increasingly agitated. Ultimately, Pean was shocked with a Taser and shot. A lthough Pean survived, the Times reported similar incidents — some fatal — in Ohio, Utah and Virginia around the same time. And it noted fi ndings from a 2014 sur vey show ing that slightly more than half of medical centers nation- wide have security personnel who carry handguns. That represented a more than 100 percent increase from three years earlier. The same article pointed out that most violent crime at hospitals is directed at employees rather than patients. TAKING ACTION In response to the 2016 double homicide at Parrish Medical Center, the hospital increased security at its main entrance and in the emergency department wait- ing area, Florida Today reports. Visitors entering at night a lso face additiona l restrictions. The hospital did not comment on the possibility of arming its guards. Another healthcare system in the area, Health First, responded to the attack by stationing armed guards at entrances to its facilities, installing metal detectors, and implementing a system to determine whether a visitor is a felon or is on a watch list. Additionally, Health First conducts random bag checks, utilizes a 24/7 cam- pus surveillance monitoring center, and ensures that the entire security team is certifi ed in crisis prevention intervention and trained to dea l with situations in which an individual uses or threatens to use a weapon, or takes hostages. "There are no guarantees that these enhancements will avoid a tragic event, but they allow us the opportunity to be prepared," says Stuart Mitchell, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Off icer with Hea lth First. "Since the implementation of these enhanced secu- rity procedures, we have confi scated many items that are in violation of our policies for safety and security." A BROAD DISCUSSION There is no single answer to the ques- tion of whether to arm hospital security, Ferrantelli cautions. He says ma king the right decision begins with soliciting wide-ranging input. "Every hospital is unique and needs to be addressed uniquely," Ferrantelli says. "Arming guard sta" is a debate that should occur with hospital leadership, loca l police, lega l a nd other releva nt stakeholders to determine the appropri- ate choice." ■ M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C L E V E L A N D /A K R O N / C A N T O N ■ M AY/J U N E 2 017 1 9